1 / 29

A Gift of Fire, 2ed

A Gift of Fire : Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and the Internet. A Gift of Fire, 2ed. Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift. A Gift of Fire. Unwrapping the Gift The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes

cbetsy
Download Presentation

A Gift of Fire, 2ed

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and the Internet A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  2. A Gift of Fire • Unwrapping the Gift • The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change • Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Appreciating the Benefits A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  3. The Ubiquity of Computers and the Rapid Pace of Change • Have you used a computer today? • You have if you used… • an ATM, • a CD-player, • a cell phone, • a modern appliance, or • an electronic device. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  4. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Issues • Some Negative Impacts of New Technology: • Unemployment. • Alienation. • Poor Customer Service. • Crime. • Loss of Privacy. • Errors. Q: Which negative aspects of new technology have you experienced? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  5. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Issues • Some Positive Impacts of New Technology: • Convenience. • New types of jobs. • More options for transactions. • Improvements in crime-fighting. • Small error rate. Q: Which positive aspects of new technology have you experienced? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  6. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Issues • Sources for Solutions to Problems: • Technology. • Management. • Law. • Education. • The market. Q: Describe how one of the above provides a solution to a problem created by new technology. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  7. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Themes • Old Problems in a New Context • Look for solutions learned in older technologies. • Adapting to New Technology • New activities may require a new set of rules to follow. • The Global Reach of the Net • Social behavior and laws vary from country to country. • Trade-offs and Controversy • Consider both sides of an argument. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  8. Examining the Gift: An Introduction to Some Issues and Themes • Themes (cont’d) • Differences Between Personal Choices, Business Policies, and Law • Arguments for personal choice or organizational policy are not sufficient for enforcing decisions [laws] against others. • Negative Rights • Liberties; rights to act without interference. • Positive Rights • Claim-rights; rights that impose obligation on others to provide certain things. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  9. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits of Computer Applications • Development of better peripheral devices. • Time-saving. • Cost-saving. • Less effort than older technologies. • Development of better sound quality. • Creation of computer-generated art and special effects. • Improved accuracy. • Improved customer service/satisfaction. • Entertainment/fun. Q: How have these benefits aided your peers? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  10. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Communication • Non-invasive; read at recipient’s convenience. • Time-saving. • Access to vast amounts of information. • Text, graphics, and sound can be combined. • Much information on WWW is free. • Public forums not limited to geographic boundaries. • More independence. • More options for communicating. • Remote access available. • Traditional boundaries are no obstacle. Q: How have these benefits aided small business? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  11. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Transportation • Navigation. • Diagnostics. • Safety. • Hybrid engines. • Efficiency of fuel-burning. • Traffic pattern studies. Q: How have these benefits aided your community? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  12. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Education and Training • Language acquisition. • Spelling. • Literacy. • Distance learning. • Modeling. • Simulations. • Speech recognition. • Speech synthesis. Q: How have these benefits aided local schools? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  13. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits of Computers in Fighting Crime • Improved crime reporting. • Faster search of arrest records and fingerprint files. • Remote access to records and reports, e.g. from patrol cars. • Enhancement of records (fingerprints and photos). • Access to numerous databases. • Improved sensoring, monitoring, and surveillance equipment. Q: How are computers used to fight crime in your community? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  14. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Medicine • Sophisticated imaging. • Reduced surgery time. • Patient monitoring. • Early ambulation. • Improved treatments. • Fewer errors. Q: How does your doctor make use of computers? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  15. Appreciating the Benefits • Patient Records • More legible. • Better organized. • Accessible by many sites, simultaneously. • Available immediately. • Improved statistical research. Q: How does your medical clinic use computers? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  16. Appreciating the Benefits • Medical Diagnosing • Streamlined diagnosis. • Improved accuracy. • Reduced need for biopsy. • Improved screening and predictions. Q: How might the chronically ill benefit from computer-aided diagnosing? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  17. Appreciating the Benefits • Telemedicine • Broad access to medical help. • Less expensive. • Expands consultations beyond rural/remote sites. Q: How might the military use telemedicine? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  18. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to the Disabled • Disability-specific computer applications (e.g., a braille printer). • Control of household and workplace appliances. • Mobility. • Control of artificial limbs. • Improved vision. • Access to adaptive educational equipment. • Improved communication. • Opportunity to return to work. Q: How are computers benefiting the disabled in your school or workplace? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  19. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Automation • Organize and access large inventories. • Improved customer satisfaction. • Cost-saving. • Time-saving. • Tedious, monotonous work done by machine. • Improved workplace safety. Q: What task would you like replaced by an automated system? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  20. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits Computers Bring to Identification • Time-saving. • Accuracy. • Ease-of-use. • Cost-saving. • More secure. • Customizable. • Reliable. Q: How are computers used to identify you at school or work? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  21. Appreciating the Benefits • Computers Monitor Environment and Materials • Temperature. • Acceleration. • Stress in materials. • Emissions. • Dangerous substances in the air. • Moisture. • Acidity. Q: How might tree farmers use computers to monitor their crops? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  22. Appreciating the Benefits • Applications of Computers in Tracking • Rare plants and animals. • Migration habits. • Stolen goods. • Lost pets or people. Q: How might scientists track Antarctic ice floes? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  23. Appreciating the Benefits • Benefits of Computers in Reducing Paper Use and Trash • Send/receive digital documents instead of hardcopy. • Read, write, and edit online. • Cost-saving; smaller storage needed. • Creation of toxic wastes at paper mills reduced. Q: Have computers reduced paper use in your school or workplace? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift

  24. Issues and Themes • Issues: • Unemployment • Alienation and customer service • Crime • Loss of privacy • Errors A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 24

  25. Issues and Themes (cont.) • Themes: • Old problems in a new context: crime, pornography, violent fiction • Adapting to new technology: thinking in a new way • Varied sources of solutions to problems: natural part of change and life A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 25

  26. Ethics • What is Ethics: • Study of what it means to “do the right thing” • Assumes people are rational and make free choices • Rules to follow in our interactions and our actions that affect others A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 26

  27. Ethics (cont.) • Important Distinctions: • Right, wrong and okay • Negative rights (liberties) • The right to act without interference • Positive rights (claim-rights) • An obligation of some people to provide certain things for others A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 27

  28. EthicsDiscussion Question • Can you think of examples of liberties (negative rights) and claim-rights (positive rights) that are at opposition to each other? A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 28

  29. A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 1: Unwrapping the Gift 29

More Related